What is Allies and how does it structure yeshcube's scientific collaboration?
Allies is yeshcube’s collaboration system for conducting research, validating solutions, implementing them in real settings and contributing resources to defined lines of work.
Each agreement establishes what every party contributes, what it receives, how the collaboration will be assessed and under which conditions it may end. This structure defines responsibilities and preserves traceability throughout the project.
The system includes four partner types: Scientific, Development, Transfer and Backing Partners. The applicable type depends on the organization’s main contribution and its role within each project.
The problem with collaborations lacking a defined framework
A collaboration may begin with shared objectives and encounter difficulties when contributions, responsibilities or expected results remain open to interpretation.
A lack of specific agreements may create imbalances in data use, team workload, recognition of contributions or access to results.
It may also make the work difficult to assess. Without objectives, metrics and termination conditions, organizations lack common criteria for deciding whether an alliance should continue, change or end.
Allies addresses these situations through agreements adapted to each collaboration. The system documents contributions, benefits, monitoring and the limits applying to every party.
Collaboration principles
Allies agreements are organized around three operating principles.
Reciprocity
The contributions and benefits of each party must be defined in the agreement.
Reciprocity may involve scientific work, specialist knowledge, technical resources, access to implementation settings, funding, infrastructure or shared results.
Traceability
Objectives, responsibilities, deliverables and metrics are documented from the beginning.
Monitoring makes it possible to establish what has been contributed, which results have been generated and which decisions support the continuation or modification of the collaboration.
Independence
Partners retain their responsibilities and decision-making areas.
Scientific, technical, operational or financial contributions do not grant authority to approve publications, alter validation protocols or change a solution’s ERL level.
Four partner types
The Allies partner types cover different functions within the research, development and transfer cycle.
An organization may perform more than one function when its capabilities and responsibilities are distinguished in the relevant agreements.
Scientific Partner
The Scientific Partner type is intended for universities, research centers, laboratories and teams with relevant methodological or scientific capabilities.
These organizations may co-design protocols, contribute to methodology, analyze results and participate in independent validation.
Collaboration may include:
- Defining research questions and hypotheses.
- Designing or reviewing protocols.
- Selecting measures and instruments.
- Analyzing and interpreting results.
- Conducting independent assessment.
- Preparing publications.
- Taking part in joint funding applications.
Authorship and academic recognition are linked to documented contributions to each piece of work.
Agreements may also regulate intellectual property, data access, confidentiality, use of results and methodological responsibilities.
Development Partner
The Development Partner type allows external initiatives to enter yeshcube’s research and transfer environment.
Participants may include technology projects, startups, applied research lines, intervention models and other initiatives focused on human development.
The initial assessment examines the project’s ability to generate verifiable evidence, its consistency with the hub’s principles and the conditions required for its development.
The process may address:
- Definition of the problem and project claims.
- Review of available evidence.
- Identification of risks and limitations.
- Design of an assessment strategy.
- Preparation of tests or pilots.
- Development of technical requirements.
- Planning for potential transfer.
The project’s maturity is considered during assessment. Admission depends on its fit with a line of work and the viability of a bounded collaboration.
Transfer Partner
The Transfer Partner type covers organizations that implement, integrate, manufacture, distribute or operate a solution in a real setting.
It may include industrial companies, healthcare organizations, educational centers, public bodies, social organizations and entities capable of applying a technology in a defined context.
Collaboration may include:
- Preparing the implementation environment.
- Training responsible staff.
- Technical or operational integration.
- Applying protocols.
- Recording incidents.
- Collecting monitoring data.
- Jointly reviewing findings.
- Adapting implementation where appropriate.
The partner receives the documentation and training agreed for applying the solution.
Information generated during implementation supports assessment of operation, acceptance, incidents and adaptation requirements under real conditions.
Backing Partner
The Backing Partner type is intended for foundations, philanthropic organizations, funds, companies and other entities contributing resources to an identified line of work.
A contribution may take several forms:
- Funding.
- Equipment.
- Provision of infrastructure.
- Specialist services.
- Access to spaces or study populations.
- Resources required for a specific research activity.
Recognition is established in proportion to the documented contribution.
Funding or resource provision remains separate from scientific and editorial decisions. Agreements must preserve methodological autonomy, publication of results and disclosure of potential conflicts of interest.
Complementarity between partner types
The four types may take part in the same project.
A line may involve a Scientific Partner contributing to assessment, a Development Partner responsible for the initiative, a Transfer Partner implementing it and a Backing Partner providing resources.
The same organization may also hold more than one role. Each responsibility must remain distinct to preserve traceability and prevent conflicts between assessment, development, implementation and funding.
The structure is adapted to the project, its objectives and the status of the solution.
Benefits associated with collaboration
Benefits depend on the partner type, project and agreed contribution.
The system may include:
- Assessment through the ERL scale.
- Access to methodological frameworks related to the line of work.
- Access to datasets under established conditions.
- Support during development or transfer.
- Usage and implementation protocols.
- Training for participating teams.
- Monitoring in the destination setting.
- Participation in publications where a documented contribution exists.
- Collaboration on funding applications and joint proposals.
- Institutional recognition proportionate to the contribution.
Access to data, methodologies or results is subject to agreements, consent, applicable regulation and the ethical conditions of each project.
Scientific and editorial autonomy
yeshcube’s scientific and editorial autonomy falls outside the scope of collaboration agreements.
A partner may contribute to the design, execution, review or interpretation of research according to its responsibilities. Decisions must remain connected with the protocol, the applicable assessment bodies and documented contributions.
No partner may:
- Approve or block publications because it funded or supported a project.
- Unilaterally modify a validation protocol.
- Alter the ERL level assigned to a solution.
- Exclude negative or inconclusive findings from the project record.
- Use participation in Allies as a general certification of its organization or products.
These boundaries separate scientific, technical, operational and financial contributions from decisions concerning assessment and communication of results.
The onboarding process
Joining Allies is organized into four stages: assessment, agreement, integration and pilot.
Assessment
The first stage examines fit with an open yeshcube line, the organization’s capacity to contribute and its verifiable track record.
The assessment identifies:
- The line or project connected with the proposal.
- Available capabilities.
- Resources each party can contribute.
- Potential conflicts of interest.
- Technical, scientific or ethical requirements.
- The viability of a bounded collaboration.
The application is reviewed before an agreement is prepared.
Agreement
The second stage defines the terms of the relationship in writing.
The agreement records contributions, benefits, monitoring metrics and termination conditions.
Depending on the project, it may also specify:
- Responsible people within each party.
- Working schedule.
- Intellectual property.
- Data access and use.
- Confidentiality.
- Publication of results.
- Committed resources.
- Incident management.
- Review criteria.
The scope must reflect the organizations’ actual capacity and the status of the project.
Integration
The third stage prepares the operational collaboration.
Each party appoints a contact person. Required access is configured and methodological training related to the planned work is provided.
Integration may include tools, documentation, protocols, spaces, monitoring systems and coordination with other participating teams.
Pilot
The fourth stage consists of a bounded project before any expansion.
The pilot tests coordination, the quality of contributions, protocol application and the ability to obtain documented results.
Pilot assessment may lead to continuation, changes to the agreement, a new research phase or the end of the collaboration.
Collaboration monitoring
The agreement defines the metrics used to review project progress.
These metrics depend on the collaboration type and may examine:
- Completed deliverables.
- Quality and usefulness of contributions.
- Compliance with protocols.
- Data generated.
- Incidents recorded.
- Training completed.
- Implementations completed.
- Test results.
- Use of resources.
- Compliance with responsibilities and deadlines.
Monitoring supports decisions based on documented work. It also helps identify deviations, review scope and apply termination conditions where required.
Recognition, authorship and visibility associated with the collaboration should reflect recorded contributions.
Data, intellectual property and publications
Each agreement must define how data, results and assets generated during the collaboration are managed.
Documentation may establish:
- Data ownership.
- Conditions of access.
- Authorized purposes.
- Retention periods.
- Protection measures.
- Ownership of developments.
- Usage licenses.
- Publication criteria.
- Recognition of contributions.
- Treatment of confidential information.
Conditions depend on the nature of the project and the applicable legal, ethical and contractual obligations.
A collaboration does not provide general access to yeshcube data or technologies. Access is limited to the line, purpose and conditions set out in the agreement.
Individual participation
Internships, research grants and doctoral opportunities are managed through Careers processes.
This route is separate from organizational membership of Allies. Individual applications follow the requirements and forms established for each opportunity.
Status and scope of the system
Allies is yeshcube’s collaboration system for its research, development and transfer lines.
Its scope is based on specific agreements with documented contributions, benefits, metrics, responsibilities and termination conditions.
Participation does not constitute a general certification of an organization or automatic validation of its products.
Each project, solution and result retains its own assessment process. Participation in one line also does not allow findings to be transferred to other products, populations or settings without specific review.
Collaborations and their results may be communicated where publication forms part of the agreed conditions and complies with confidentiality and data-protection obligations.
Membership application
Interested organizations may submit a proposal through the form on the program page.
The application should describe the organization, the partner type relevant to the proposal, the line to which it can contribute and the capabilities or resources available.
General inquiries may be submitted through the yeshcube contact form.
